2018 FIFA world cup: attitudes of students from host cities and cities not engaged in organization of large-scale sports event

ˑ: 

V. A. Dikhor1
PhD, Associate Professor D.Yu. Narkhov1
PhD, Associate Professor D.V. Shkurin1
PhD, Associate Professor A.M. Burkova1
PhD, Associate Professor N.B. Serova1
1Ural Federal University, Yekaterinburg

Objective of the study was to conduct a sociological analysis to determine the attitudes of students from host cities and cities not engaged in the organization of the large-scale sports event – the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Methods and structure of the study. The online questionnaire form for identifying the citizens' attitudes to the 2018 FIFA World Cup offered 29 questions, of which 10 formed a socio-demographic block and 8 were aimed to find the citizens’ attitudes to the main aspects of football. The study involved a total of 6,498 people, including 5,046 respondents who filled out the questionnaire. The survey involved 70 students from 30 higher education institutions (including the students from 9 out of 11 host cities of the 2018 FIFA World Cup): females - 59.2%, males - 40.8%, who were predominantly 18-21 years of age (82.3%).
Results of the study and conclusions. The host cities were significantly upgraded in the run-up to the FIFA World Cup in terms of infrastructure, stadium construction, and socio-cultural aspects. According to the survey results, a general feeling of apprehension and anxiety was observed. The respondents from the host cities were found to have higher rates, which was due to their personal interest and involvement in the process. The young people from the host cities were characterized by a greater cluster difference: a smaller percentage was interested in football (compared to the representatives from other cities), but most of them were interested in all top-level football tournaments. The respondents from the host cities demonstrated had little interest in the local games and local-level tournaments. Such results could be stemmed from the fact that the host cities offered a diverse cultural program for leisure activities, so only major football events beat the competition.

Keywords: attitude to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, students, fans, host cities.

References

  1. Dikhor V.A., Burkova A.M., Gizullina A.V. Osnovy psikhologii futbolnykh bolelshchikov [Fundamentals of psychology of football fans]. Study guide. Yekaterinburg: UU publ., 2017. 76 p.
  2. Rossiyskoe obshchestvo sotsiologov [Russian Society of Sociologists] [electronic resource]. Available at: http://www.ssa-rss.ru/index.php?page_id=19&id=1430 (Date of access: 01.09.2018).